Leeds kids star in NHS asthma videos

20/07/2016

Funny film shorts remind children to have their inhaler with them over summer

NHS Leeds West Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has teamed up with Sacred Heart Primary School in Leeds, to produce a number of short video clips and two nursery rhymes to remind children not to forget their asthma inhalers during the summer holidays.

According to Asthma UK, a national charity which aims to stop asthma attacks and ultimately cure asthma, has said there has been a rise in the number of children rushed to hospital due to their asthma every September in the UK. In 2014, children aged 14 and under were almost three times more likely to be admitted to hospital in September than in August.

In Leeds every September, over 200 children are admitted to Accident and Emergency due to their asthma. Figures do show, however, that the numbers being admitted have remained stable for the past two years, with 243 attendances in 2014 and 244 attendances in 2015.

Gil Ramsden, Lead Practice Nurse at NHS Leeds West CCG, said: “The video clips that have been produced with pupils from Sacred Heart Primary School. All clips show different scenarios of where a pupil has forgotten to bring their inhaler with them and they end up missing out on an opportunity of a lifetime or not being able to participate in a fun summer-related activity.

“Both the video clips and nursery rhymes will encourage children to remember to take their reliever inhaler (usually blue) with them when they go out, and remember to use their preventer inhaler (usually brown) as normal during the summer holidays. This will help to reduce the number of hospital admissions and prevent your child’s asthma symptoms getting worse later in the year because they’ve been taking their asthma inhalers.”

Elaine Hughes, Inclusion Lead at Sacred Heart Primary School, said: “We’re really proud of our pupils for taking part in the films and nursery rhymes to raise awareness of the importance of carrying and using your inhaler regularly. Not only will the video clips and nursery rhymes remind children to carry their inhalers and use it when they’re supposed to, but it’s also a great way to encourage parents and carers to ensure children are aware of the importance of having their asthma inhalers.

“Pupils who took part in the video clips and nursery rhymes all have asthma, this was a great opportunity for them to highlight the importance of having your inhaler with you during the summer holidays, whether you’re home or abroad.”

Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. You could say that someone with asthma has ‘sensitive’ airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don’t like. Asthma tends to run in families, especially when there’s also a history of allergies and/or smoking.

Reliever inhalers – usually blue – are taken to relieve asthma symptoms quickly.

The inhaler usually contains a medicine called a short-acting beta2-agonist, which works by relaxing the muscles surrounding the narrowed airways. This allows the airways to open wider, making it easier to breathe again. For further information visit NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Asthma/Pages/Treatment.aspx

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Issued by the communications team at NHS Leeds West CCG. You can contact the team on 0113 84 35528 or 0113 84 35470. Alternatively please email us: commsleedswestccg@nhs.net